Why everyone should go to at least one metal gig in their lifetime.

So metal, not everyone's favourite genre of music as it's often associated with church burnings and goat sacrifices. However hopefully by the end of this post you'll realise it's not all about covering yourself in the blood of a virgin and dancing around a satanic pentagram.

I can remember my very first metal gig which constituted of a selection of local bands from the Oxfordshire area playing in a very dingy village hall in my home town. I was reasonably apprehensive as I heard rumours of 'pits' and 'hardcore dancing', both of them involving kicking the fuck out of anyone near you. I put my fears behind me and went along anyway and was pleasantly surprised as there were certain unwritten codes of conduct for this sort of behaviour.

1. You don't have to 'pit'- The pit tends to open up but if you're not feeling particularly violent you can just take a few steps back away from the carnage and appreciate the band without getting the sole of someone's shoe imprinted on your forehead.

2. People look out for you - If you do get brave and fancy a bit of a brawl but the worst happens and you find yourself square on your back while you look up at what looks like a riot you usually find many hands grabbing you and pulling you back to your feet. How thoughtful.

3. The no bullshit policy - Chances are if you go in the pit you know you could get the odd fist to the chin/nose but luckily if this happens most of the time the music will stop and everyone goes their separate ways, with no need for any more conflict. Obviously this isn't always the case and you do get the odd person losing their mind a little.




Some other pretty excellent things about metal gigs are some of, what I can only describe as, 'events'. The first one being a circle pit where parts of the crowd decide to run around in a huge circle before a particularly heavy beatdown. These look pretty skill when you're watching them and are even more fun to be in. I was part of one of the largest Gallows had ever seen at Hevy festival which I'm reasonably proud of.



The second and arguably the most dangerous is a wall of death. This is where the lead singer often asks the crowd to split into two and on his count, and often when the tune reaches almost holy savagery, asks the crowd to charge face first into each other. Now I love metal and most things about it but there are some things I draw the line at and re-enacting Braveheart scenes at gigs is one of them, it's a pretty messed up concept to say the least but they do look pretty sweet from a far.

But above all the best thing is the energy, whether it's singing/screaming/guttural croaking the best lyrics with your friends (my Architects and Norma Jean chums will know all about this) or simply watching a band throw down to the highest calibre on stage other gigs rarely come close. Another fun part of these gigs is where the lead singer of most metal/hardcore bands get involved with the crowd instead of performing behind a wall of Goliath body guards which adds a nice personal touch. Now if only Eva Spence of Rolo Tomassi did that some more....

So yea, go and throw down or just stand and watch, either one is rad.